SparkNotes: The Rape of the Lock: Context The Rape of the Lock Alexander Pope Table of Contents Characters Alexander Pope was born in London in 1688. As a Roman Catholic living during a time of Protestant consolidation in England, he was largely excluded from the university system and from political life, and suffered certain social and economic disadvantages because of his religion as well. He was self-taught to a great extent, and was an assiduous scholar from a very early age. He learned several languages on his own, and his early verses were often imitations of poets he admired. His obvious talent found encouragement from his father, a linen-draper, as well as from literary-minded friends. At the age of twelve, Pope contracted a form of tuberculosis that settled in his spine, leaving him stunted and misshapen and causing him great pain for much of his life. He never married, though he formed a number of lifelong friendships in London’s literary circles, most notably with Jonathan Swift. Pope wrote during what is often called the Augustan Age of English literature (indeed, it is Pope’s career that defines the age).

During this time, the nation had recovered from the English Civil Wars and the Glorious Revolution, and the regained sense of political stability led to a resurgence of support for the arts. For this reason, many compared the period to the reign of Augustus in Rome, under whom both Virgil and Horace had found support for their work. The prevailing taste of the day was neoclassical, and 18th-century English writers tended to value poetry that was learned and allusive, setting less value on originality than the Romantics would in the next century. This literature also tended to be morally and often politically engaged, privileging satire as its dominant mode. The Rape of the Lock is one of the most famous English-language examples of the mock-epic. Published in its first version in 1712, when Pope was only 23 years old, the poem served to forge his reputation as a poet and remains his most frequently studied work. The inspiration for the poem was an actual incident among Pope’s acquaintances in which Robert, Lord Petre, cut off a lock of Arabella Fermor’s hair, and the young people’s families fell into strife as a result.

John Caryll, another member of this same circle of prominent Roman Catholics, asked Pope to write a light poem that would put the episode into a humorous perspective and reconcile the two families. The poem was originally published in a shorter version, which Pope later revised. In this later version he added the “machinery,” the retinue of supernaturals who influence the action as well as the moral of the tale. After the publication of The Rape of the Lock, Pope spent many years translating the works of Homer. During the ten years he devoted to this arduous project, he produced very few new poems of his own but refined his taste in literature (and his moral, social, and political opinions) to an incredible degree. When he later recommenced to write original poetry, Pope struck a more serious tone than the one he gave to The Rape of the Lock. These later poems are more severe in their moral judgments and more acid in their satire: Pope’s Essay on Man is a philosophical poem on metaphysics, ethics, and human nature, while in the Dunciad Pope writes a scathing exposé of the bad writers and pseudo-intellectuals of his day.

More Help Poets' Corner - Alexander Pope - The Rape of the Lock The Rape of the Lock An Heroi-Comical Poem Bob Blair The Rape of the Lock reads best with no footnotes. The rhythm of the poem is broken when your eye is drawn elsewhere by notes, whether at the bottom of the page, or as in Web documents, hyperlinks. On the other hand, it is difficult to enjoy a text when you are frequently distracted by material you do not understand. For these reasons I have put together this page of notes and explanatory material in the hope that, having read it, you will be able to read The Rape of the Lock with the same pleasure it has given many this last nearly 300 years. If you think there are other areas that need explanation, feel free to send me mail . Contents: How good is this Web edition textually? Why was The Rape of the Lock written? In 1710 or 1711, a minor British noble, Lord Petre, cut off a lock of Arabella Fermor's hair. Arabella was the daughter of another family of minor nobility. The purloining of the lock caused a falling-out between the two families.

A friend of both, John Caryll, invited the young Alexander Pope to write a humorous poem to try to ease the bad feelings. At this time (1711), Pope had not yet established himself as a poet (The Essay on Criticism was not yet published), but he was known to both families, and was well thought of in their rural, Catholic circle. As Tillotson notes, ``Pope alone perhaps could see in Caryll's request he oportunity not for a mere epistle but for a mock epic in miniature. By the time the poem was finished--the sylphs were added two years after the poem was published; the moralizing speech of Clarissa [in Canto V], three years after that--it had become the most perfect of the several European attempts to keep alive, by the most hopeful means, those of diminution and laughter, the moribund epic form.'' The poem was `leaked' after being presented to the families, and was published without Pope's permission. He finished and polished the poem and published under his own name in 1714, and in its final form in 1717. Rape is a pretty grim subject, isn't it?

`Rape' has several meanings, and in Pope's time the most common meaning was something like "kidnapping". Thus people talked (and still do) of "the rape of Helen" when Paris took her to Asia, and "the rape of the Sabine women". It would not be accurate to say that there is no sexual or violent implication to the word as used by Pope, but it does not have the same violent meaning that it has in common usage today. Another example of the shift in sexually-charged words in the poem is "chaste". In the Epistle Dedicatory, Pope says that sylphs surround humans while they are chaste. But the sylph leaves Belinda when he sees `an earthly Lover lurking at her heart.' Clearly chastity had higher requirements back then. What's the big joke? The running joke is that a trivial social tiff is treated in the form and traditions of the epic.

As Tillotson says, The rape of Helen became that of a lock of hair; the gods became minute sylphs; Æneas' voyage up the Tiber became Belinda's up the Thames; the long description of Achilles' shield became a brief one of Belinda's petticoat. There are sacrifices, prayers, laments, harangues, feasts, and so on. But in addition to this mockery of the main ``ingredients,'' there is mockery of the epic style--its invocations, exclamations, and use of similes--and some of the speeches follow the framework of actual speeches in Homer and Virgil, thus adding parody to imitation. There is irony in this. Although few readers in the 1990s will have any idea what it is Pope was parodying, the things that he added implicitly -- the understanding of human passion, the appreciation of beauty, his wonderful power over words -- stand out the more for that. It is probably easier now to understand how good this poem is, than it was in the decade it was written. What is that card game in Canto III?

Belinda (Arbella) and the Baron (Petre) play at Ombre in one of the best-known scenes of the poem. The game was played all over Europe in the 18th century, and it is still played in Spain. Ombre is a game of 3 players, each of whom is dealt 9 cards. (There are only 40 cards: the standard deck minus the eights, nines, and tens.) The declarer names trumps and must try to take 5 of the 9 tricks. The three cards of highest value are called "Matadores". In this particular hand, they are the ace of spades ("Spadillio"), the deuce of spades ("Manillio"), and the ace of clubs ("Basto"). Another card named in this scene is "Pam", the jack of clubs, which in the game of Loo is the highest card. Who or what is Shock? Shock is a lap dog, of an Icelandic breed known as shough. Did this Pope guy hate women? Not particularly. It is tempting to assume that Pope revealed in this poem more than he intended about his attitude towards women. This temptation should be resisted.

There is strong satire here, but no more than Pope directed against men elsewhere, and no more than was fashionable at the time. In fact, if you look beyond the satire you may see a genuine sympathy in Pope for Belinda. How good is this Web edition textually? It could be much better. It is taken from the Student's Cambridge Edition (Houghton Mifflin, 1903) and is alledged to include all the changes made by Pope himself. Unfortunately it was hand-transcribed, and error almost undoubtedly crept in. If you find a textual error, please send me mail pointing out the problem. The Rape of the Lock: Pope's Mock Heroic Poetry - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com The Rape of the Lock: Pope's Mock Heroic Poetry Watch short & fun videos Start Your Free Trial Today An error occurred trying to load this video. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. You must create an account to continue watching Register for a free trial Are you a student or a teacher? I am a student Start Your Free Trial To Continue Watching As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over lessons in math, English, science, history, and more.

Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you succeed. Coming up next: Restoration Comedy: Theatre of the 1700s You're on a roll. Keep up the good work! Your next lesson will play in 10 seconds 0:05 The Rape of the Lock 3:30 Synopsis Add to Add to Add to Want to watch this again later? Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course. Custom Courses are courses that you create from Study.com lessons. Use them just like other courses to track progress, access quizzes and exams, and share content. Teachers Organize and share selected lessons with your class. Make planning easier by creating your own custom course. Students Create a new course from any lesson page or your dashboard. From any lesson page: Click "Add to" located below the video player and follow the prompts to name your course and save your lesson. From your dashboard: Click on the "Custom Courses" tab, then click "Create course". Next, go to any lesson page and begin adding lessons. Edit your Custom Course directly from your dashboard. Personalize: Name your Custom Course and add an optional description or learning objective.

Organize: Create chapters to group lesson within your course. Remove and reorder chapters and lessons at any time. Share your Custom Course or assign lessons and chapters. Teacher Edition: Share or assign lessons and chapters by clicking the "Teacher" tab on the lesson or chapter page you want to assign. Students' quiz scores and video views will be trackable in your "Teacher" tab. Premium Edition: You can share your Custom Course by copying and pasting the course URL. Only Study.com members will be able to access the entire course. Create an account to start this course today Try it free for 5 days! Instructor: Stacy Redd Stacy has taught college English and has a master's degree in literature. Alexander Pope is one of the premiere satirists in the English language, and The Rape of the Lock is his crowning achievement. Here, Pope writes about an incredibly trivial event as though it's a war involving gods and epic heroes. Watch our lesson for more details on this classic! The Rape of the Lock It's Alexander Pope time! I am so excited because we are talking about Alexander Pope. He was one of the foremost British authors and satirists of the 18th century.

He, in a highly relatable way, built his reputation on the foundations of a sharp satirical tongue and a love of bringing classical Greek and Roman literature into the modern day (as we all do). Alexander Pope was awesome and hilarious, and we're going to talk about his most famous work, which is rather unfortunately titled The Rape of the Lock. I'd like to specify right now that, in this instance, the word 'rape' does not imply sexual assault - I just really want to get that out of the way. This work is really entertaining. It combines both his foundations of satire and his influences from the Greek and Roman traditions to really make something awesome but also trivial at the same time. Let's just jump right into The Rape of the Lock and find out why it's so great and why it's so funny and still enjoyed today. This work was originally published anonymously in May of 1712, but Pope would eventually expand The Rape of the Lock and publish it again under his own name a few years later. That's the version - the second version - that we're going to look at today. It's known as a mock-epic or a mock-heroic, which should be pretty self-explanatory.

It's a work that takes on the form of a classic Greek or Roman epic, like Homer's Odyssey, but with a satirical twist, and that's where the 'mock' comes in. Satire, remember, is a literary form that uses exaggeration and ridicule to expose truths about society. In The Rape of the Lock, the satire comes from the fact that Pope is using high-and-mighty classical epic form - the tradition of Homer - but he's really telling a story that is incredibly trivial. Before we get into that story, there are three other things you should know about the poem. First, like typical epics, The Rape of the Lock is divided into cantos. That's the standard division for epic poems that comes from the Italian word for 'song.' If you've read any of Dante's Divine Comedy or if you are a fan of Ezra Pound (as so many of us are), you'll be familiar with that term. Unlike an epic, though, The Rape of the Lock is not incredibly long - it's just 5 cantos and only about 600 lines. I guess he figured satire would wear out its welcome after a while.

Also, it's a mock-epic - it's not a real one. Second, the poem is written in heroic couplets, which means rhyming pairs of iambic pentameter - so if Shakespeare had rhymed all of his lines, that would be heroic couplets. Pope was an early adopter of this form and should deserve a lot of credit for making it popular. Heroic couplets make a very pleasing, melodious reading and listening experience; you'll find that the passages of this poem have kind of a song-like quality to them. Finally, just an interesting side-note - The Rape of the Lock is based on real events that Pope had related to him by a friend. That same friend had asked Pope to write this mocking poem in an attempt to show the groups involved how silly they were being and hopefully get them to reconcile. But of course Pope ends up the real winner here, because The Rape of the Lock is considered one of the greatest satirical poems in English literature. If you write great poems, you don't need friends. You heard it here first. Plot Synopsis Let's get to the story. As I mentioned earlier, we should not interpret the word 'rape' here as sexual assault.

So what does it actually refer to? Well, as we mentioned, the events of this poem are very trivial. Basically, it's the tale of a lock of hair getting stolen from a beautiful girl at a party - that's the 'rape.' And while this may sound pretty upsetting, it's not as intense as Queen Helen getting stolen from Troy and launching the Trojan War, which is the basis for a lot of other epics. So right away, they're lampooning this event by comparing it to something huge, like the start of the Trojan War. Pope's point there - and this is where the satire starts - is that the society of his day placed too much emphasis on trivial things like surface beauty (thank God we're over that...). He's trying to compare that maybe someone would find getting their hair cut off as depressing as having their queen stolen or a massive war with another land. That means that the poem is both satirizing the genre of epic and also the modern sensibility at the same time. It's a double satire - he's working hard.

The main character here is Belinda, a beautiful woman called the 'Fairest of the Mortals' by Pope in the first canto, which, if you're familiar with Homer, might sound a little bit like Helen of Troy (and I don't think that was an accident). In this section of the poem, Belinda wakes up and gets ready to go to a ball, and that's about it. If Stephenie Meyer - the Twilight lady - had written The Rape of the Lock, this section would take like 35 pages and it would be told in excruciating detail (because that book is terrible). But Alexander Pope was much more skilled than Stephenie Meyer (sorry Twilight fans). However, since this epic is modeled after the likes of Homer, Belinda gets some supernatural help getting ready. The gods are always interfering in Homer's works, and this happens here, too. Belinda's supernatural help comes from someone named Ariel, her guardian sylph - basically an 'air spirit' that Pope uses as a satirical equivalent of a major god or goddess who intercedes in the hero's life - like Athena, for example, except Ariel's a dude.

If you're familiar with Shakespeare's The Tempest, you might recognize Ariel as the name of Prospero's servant, but, realistically, you're probably thinking of The Little Mermaid. However, Ariel's a man, so that's not a good association. Ariel and his fellow sylphs, Pope says, have the duty of protecting virgins - to quote from the poem, 'Whoever fair and chaste / Rejects Mankind, is by some Sylph embraced.' You can see the rhyming couplet right there - chaste/embraced. Nice work. Ariel, in keeping with his duty as a protector, warns Belinda of dark omens on the horizon, but he's not exactly sure what they are. We know what they are - someone's going to cut her hair. Those omens, we learn, are there because of the Baron, the poem's main antagonist, who we meet in Canto 2.

The Baron is an admirer of Belinda's who's been plotting to steal her most prized trait, which Pope says are 'two Locks which graceful hung behind / In equal Curls, and well conspir'd to deck / with shining Ringlets the smooth Iv'ry neck.' He's talking about her hair - it's really pretty and hanging in curls around her pale neck. In other words, Belinda is known for her hair, and the Baron, who's obsessed with her, wants to steal some of it for himself - that's all that's going on so far. But Pope words this in a way to let us know that the Baron is a total creep - he's not a lovestruck Romeo, he's a weirdo. Here's what he says: 'Th' Adventrous Baron the bright Locks admir'd, / He saw, he wish'd, and to the Prize aspir'd: / Resolv'd to win, he meditates the way, / By Force to ravish, or by Fraud betray.' I guess just asking her for some hair is out of the question.

Besides introducing us to the Baron, Canto 2 also brings Belinda to the party by a sea voyage, which is another element of epic poetry that Pope's making fun of - there are always ships sailing somewhere in Homer's works. In Canto 3, after a game of cards is written up like a grand battle, the Baron sets himself for his nefarious task. He's aided by Clarissa, a young lady who fancies the Baron for herself. This is one of those sad kind of 'if I do this for someone, maybe he'll like me' approach that you might observe in people you know from time to time or perhaps have been guilty of yourself (we've all been there - no judgment). Clarissa's role in the plot is to hand the Baron the scissors and not much else. This is really where the overblown satire comes in. All she's doing is handing the Baron the scissors to cut some hair from a girl who doesn't know her hair is about to be cut.

But this is how Pope dramatizes the handoff: 'Just then, Clarissa drew with tempting Grace / A two-edg'd Weapon from her shining Case; / So Ladies in Romance assist their Knight, / Present the Spear, and arm him for the Fight.' He's just cutting some hair, but he's saying she's the lady assisting the knight before a duel. He's trying to elevate it while also making fun of it. The third canto ends tragically with Belinda finally losing a prized lock of her celebrated hair. In the fourth canto, another otherworldly creature appears and takes the place of the sylphs. This is a gnome called Umbriel, who travels from the 'Cave of Spleen' to procure for Belinda 'a bag of sighs and a vial of tears' from its Queen. Now we've met the Queen of Spleen. It's too bad Pope never actually uses those words, because that would be hilarious. If the use of spleen doesn't make a lot of sense, it helps to keep in mind that people in Pope's time thought that your spleen was where all your angry feelings come from.

So basically Canto 4 uses a supernatural metaphor to explain that Belinda's overflowing with emotions after her very upsetting event. Now we're on to Canto 5, where Belinda is overcome with bad feelings thanks to Umbriel, and Clarissa's role in the poem sort of changes from scissor-hander; all of a sudden, she's meant to present the story's moral. She attempts to calm Belinda down with a speech about how beauty will eventually wither but good humor and a positive attitude can last forever - that's really supposed to represent Pope's own idea about the events of the poem and the real events that inspired them, too. Let's hear how he says it: But since, alas! frail Beauty must decay, × The Rape of the Lock Essay - The Rape of the Lock, Alexander Pope - eNotes.com The Rape of the Lock, Alexander Pope The Rape of the Lock ▾ search link Link The Rape of the Lock Alexander Pope The following entry presents criticism of Pope's poem The Rape of the Lock (written in two cantos in 1712, later expanded to five cantos in 1714, and slightly revised in 1717).

See also, Alexander Pope Criticism and An Essay on Man Criticism. Modern critics consider The Rape of the Lock to be the supreme example of mock-heroic verse in the English language. Written in heroic couplets, the poem was most likely composed during the late summer of 1711 and first published in the May edition of Lintot's Miscellany in 1712. The original version of the poem contained 334 lines in two cantos. A more elaborate version appeared two years later, extending the poem to 794 lines in five cantos; a slight final revision was completed for the poem's inclusion in Pope's Works (1717). Inspired by an actual event, The Rape of the Lock recounts the circumstances surrounding the theft of a lock of a young woman's hair by an impassioned male admirer, which caused a rift between the families involved. The poem was intended to restore harmonious relations between the estranged families. Subtitled “an heroi-comical poem,” The Rape of the Lock treats the petty matter in full-blown epic style, which results in a great deal of humor.

It uses the elevated heroic language that John Dryden, Pope's literary forebear, had perfected in his translation of Virgil and incorporates amusing parodies of passages from John Milton's Paradise Lost, Vergil's Aeneid, and Homer's Iliad, which Pope was translating at the time. Celebrated as a masterstroke of English originality, The Rape of the Lock established Pope as a master of metrics and a sophisticated satirist. Plot and Major Characters Although the precise time and place of the incident that occasioned The Rape of the Lock have been lost to history, the depilatory theft and ensuing feud between two prominent Catholic families certainly happened, the standard account of which is documented in the Twickenham edition of Pope's complete works. Briefly stated, the poem elaborates upon the events of a day, most likely during the summer of 1711, when Robert, Lord Petre, brazenly snipped off a curl of Arabella Fermor's hair, an act which estranged their families.

Pope's friend John Caryll, to whom the poem is addressed, suggested that Pope write it in order to “laugh them together again.” The poem's epigraph (translated by Aubrey Williams as “I was unwilling, Belinda, to ravish your locks; but I rejoice to have conceded this to your prayers”) is a slightly altered passage from Martial's Epigrams, in which Pope substitutes Belinda for Martial's heroine, Polytimus, with the implication that the original poem was published with Arabella's consent. Pope set the central action of his poem at Hampton Court—the traditional home of royalty—which, though a possible site, is a highly unlikely one, since both families were mere gentry as well as members of an ostracized religion. In the original two-canto poem the “gentle belle,” Belinda, awakens one morning and joins friends on a river trip up the Thames to play cards and drink coffee at Hampton. As the afternoon wanes, the Baron snips one of Belinda's favorite locks of hair with scissors provided by Clarissa. Great dismay ensues among the guests, devastating Belinda and scandalizing the company.

Her angry demands for the return of her purloined lock are futile, since the destined lock of hair floats away as a new star to adorn the night skies. As in his later satires, Pope substitutes fictional or type names for the specific personalities he has in mind, so that the character of Belinda is based on Arabella, that of the Baron on Lord Petre, and that of Sir Plume, a blithering guest at Hampton, on Sir George Browne, a relative of Arabella's mother. Pope significantly expanded the straightforward story in subsequent editions by simply adding conventional features of epic verse, then called the “machinery,” or supernatural dimension, of the poem. Adapted from the light erotic work Le Comte de Gabalis and Rosicrucian lore, the “machinery” of the five-canto version of the poem introduces such supernatural creatures as the earthy gnome Umbriel—a reincarnation of a prude—and the ethereal sylphs—the spirits of dead coquettes.

In addition, Pope inserted a detailed account of Belinda's daily routine at her dressing table, a description of the social rituals involved with a lively game of ombre, and an otherworldly visit to the Cave of Spleen. Clarissa's speech on “good Humor,” or common sense, first appeared in the last revision of the poem, which Pope added “to open more clearly the MORAL of the Poem.” In the 1712 and 1714 versions of the poem, Clarissa makes a brief appearance as the one who hands the scissors to the Baron. Major Themes Fusing high humor and moralization, The Rape of the Lock offers an ironic perspective on contemporary manners combined with a deep appreciation for the vitality of the eighteenth-century beau monde. With sensitivity, exquisite taste, high-spirited wit, and gentle satire, the poem forces a continuous comparison between insignificant and significant things, between the mundane and the exotic. In his mock epic, Pope exploits the difference between the grandeur of “heroic” moments depicted in traditional epics and the consciously trivial events in his poem. By treating the latter incidents as matters of great import, their inconsequence is made obvious.

The poem features the devices of traditional epic poetry in abundant allusions to and parodies of incidents, characters, and themes from a range of classical and modern epics, but these themes are proportionately scaled down. In The Rape of the Lock, ladies and gentlemen are the heroines and heroes, exchanging repartee with the opposite sex in salons instead of waging war against noble enemies on fields of combat. Rather than gods and goddesses intruding in human affairs, sylphs and gnomes intervene, with tasks appropriate to their natures. The epic game is ombre played on the “velvet plain” of a card table, the victors feast on gossip between sips of coffee instead of ambrosia and wine, and the epic struggle is determined by clever quips and innuendo, by winks, nods, and frowns, not weapons. The traditional epic journey to the underworld is evoked by a visit to the Cave of Spleen, an emblem of the petty temperaments of privileged women.

These actions unfold against an elegantly appointed backdrop of beautiful objects: rich brocades, glowing diamonds, tortoise shell and ivory combs, cosmetics and hair dressings, varnished furniture, silver coffeepots, and dainty china. Yet for all the evident beauty, charm, and allure this active, shimmering world exhibits, lighthearted raillery pulses throughout its civilized veneer, a reminder of its trite values and the vanities of its inhabitants. Critical Reception The original version of The Rape of the Lock accomplished its task—since the Fermors and Petres were reconciled—and it immediately received an enthusiastic response from the public and the critics alike. Joseph Addison, who considered the poem perfect as it was first written, advised Pope against revision, but with the addition of the “machinery” and other material, the poem soon was deemed Pope's most brilliant performance as well as one of his most popular and lucrative, going through seven printings by 1723. Throughout the eighteenth century the poem remained a perennial favorite.

Samuel Johnson pronounced it “the most attractive of ludicrous compositions,” in which “New things are made familiar and familiar things are made new.” Although appreciation of Pope's poetry generally declined throughout the nineteenth century, Victorian readers and critics continued to delight in the ethereal qualities of The Rape of the Lock. James Russell Lowell declared, “For wit, fancy, invention, and keeping, it has never been surpassed,” and Leslie Stephen observed that Pope's poem “is allowed, even by his bitterest critics, to be a masterpiece of delicate fancy.” Twentieth-century critics have interpreted the poem in a diverse range of contexts, from character analyses and examinations of the poem's extensive allusions to both literary and folklore traditions, to investigations into Pope's political motivations and his understanding of the commercial aspects of the burgeoning publishing industry. A common thread in much twentieth-century criticism of The Rape of the Lock has acknowledged the way in which a deep appreciation for English high society meshes with Pope's critique of its weaknesses.

Since the 1980s a number of critics have delved into other areas of Pope's career in relation to the poem, including the nature of Pope's habit of revision and its effect on the poem's meaning as well as the connections between mercantile discourse and Popean aesthetics. In addition, feminist critics have approached the poem in terms of ideological and cultural assumptions about women and their status in Pope's society, uncovering a significant response to the poem by women readers since its publication. Inarguably, Pope's most popularly cherished poem, The Rape of the Lock, also is his most conceptually imaginative work. Start Free Trial Start your free trial with eNotes to access more than 30,000 study guides. Get help with any book. “Pastorals” (poetry) 1709; published in Poetical Miscellanies, vol.

6 An Essay on Criticism (poetry) 1711 “The Messiah” (poetry) 1712; published in journal The Spectator The Rape of the Lock (poetry) 1712; enlarged edition, 1714; revised 1717 Windsor-Forest (poetry) 1713 The Iliad of Homer. 6 vols. [Translator] (poetry) 1715-20 *“A Discourse on Pastoral Poetry” (criticism) 1717 *“Eloisa to Abelard” (poetry) 1717 *“Verses to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady” (poetry) 1717; also known as “Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady” The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope (poetry and criticism) 1717 The Odyssey of Homer. 5 vols. [Translator] (poetry) 1725-26 The Works of Shakspear. 6 vols.

[Adaptor] (plays) 1725 The Dunciad (poetry) 1728 “Peri Bathous; or, The Art of Sinking in Poetry” (criticism) 1728; published in Miscellanies, vol. 3 The Dunciad, Variorum. With the Prolegomena of Scriblerus. (poetry) 1729 Epistles to Several Persons (poetry) 1731-35 Satires and Epistles of Horace, Imitated (poetry) 1733-37 An Essay on Man, Being the First Book of Ethic Epistles. To Henry St. John L. Bolingbroke (poetry) 1734 An Epistle from Mr. Pope, to Dr. Arbuthnot (poetry) 1735 Mr. Pope's Literary Correspondence for Thirty Years; from 1704 to 1734 (letters) 1735 Letters of Mr.

Alexander Pope and Several of His Friends (letters) 1737 Epilogue to the Satires (poetry) 1738 Memoirs of the Extraordinary Life, Works, and Discoveries of Martinus Scriblerus [With John Arbuthnot, John Gay, Thomas Parnell, and Jonathan Swift] (satire) 1737 The New Dunciad: As It Was Found in the Year 1741. With the Illustrations of Scriblerus, and Notes Variorum (poetry) 1742 The Dunciad, in Four Books (poetry) 1743 †Satires of Dr. Donne Versified (poetry) 1751 The Works of Alexander Pope. 9 vols. (poetry and criticism) 1751 The Correspondence of Alexander Pope (letters) 1956 *These works first appeared in the 1717 edition of The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope. †This work first appeared in the 1751 edition of The Works of Alexander Pope.

SparkNotes: The Rape of the Lock Home → SparkNotes → Poetry Study Guides → The Rape of the Lock The Rape of the Lock Alexander Pope Consider the poem ‘The Rape of the Lock’ as a mock-heroic epic. by touhidsm , April 29, 2014 Mock epic is a narrative poem which aims at mockery and laughter by using almost all the characteristic features of an epic but for a trivial subject. Alexander Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock” is a famous mock-epic. In it, there is invocation to Muses, proposition of subject, battles, supernatural machinery, journey on water, underworld journey, long speeches, feasts (coffee house), Homeric similes and grand style but all for a simple family dispute instead of a national struggle. The grand treatment of a low subject produces hilarious l... Read more→ Alexander Pope - Poet | Academy of American Poets Academy of American Poets The Academy of American Poets is the largest membership-based nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting American poets.

For over three generations, the Academy has connected millions of people to great poetry through programs such as National Poetry Month, the largest literary celebration in the world; Poets.org, the Academy’s popular website; American Poets, a biannual literary journal; and an annual series of poetry readings and special events. Since its founding, the Academy has awarded more money to poets than any other organization. browse poems & poets Famous Last Words In the Spring of 1688, Alexander Pope was born an only child to Alexander and Edith Pope. The elder Pope, a linen-draper and recent convert to Catholicism, soon moved his family from London to Binfield, Berkshire in the face of repressive, anti-Catholic legislation from Parliament. Described by his biographer, John Spence, as "a child of a particularly sweet temper," and with a voice so melodious as to be nicknamed the "Little Nightingale," the child Pope bears little resemblance to the irascible and outspoken moralist of the later poems. Barred from attending public school or university because of his religion, Pope was largely self-educated. He taught himself French, Italian, Latin, and Greek, and read widely, discovering Homer at the age of six.

At twelve, Pope composed his earliest extant work, Ode to Solitude; the same year saw the onset of the debilitating bone deformity that would plague Pope until the end of his life. Originally attributed to the severity of his studies, the illness is now commonly accepted as Pott's disease, a form of tuberculosis affecting the spine that stunted his growth—Pope's height never exceeded four and a half feet—and rendered him hunchbacked, asthmatic, frail, and prone to violent headaches. His physical appearance would make him an easy target for his many literary enemies in later years, who would refer to the poet as a "hump-backed toad." Pope's Pastorals, which he claimed to have written at sixteen, were published in Jacob Tonson's Poetical Miscellanies of 1710 and brought him swift recognition. Essay on Criticism , published anonymously the year after, established the heroic couplet as Pope's principal measure and attracted the attention of Jonathan Swift and John Gay, who would become Pope's lifelong friends and collaborators.

Together they formed the Scriblerus Club, a congregation of writers endeavoring to satirize ignorance and poor taste through the invented figure of Martinus Scriblerus, who would serve as a precursor to the dunces in Pope's late masterpiece, the Dunciad. 1712 saw the first appearance of the The Rape of the Lock, Pope's best-known work and the one that secured his fame. Its mundane subject—the true account of a squabble between two prominent Catholic families over the theft of a lock of hair—is transformed by Pope into a mock-heroic send-up of classical epic poetry . Turning from satire to scholarship, Pope in 1713 began work on his six-volume translation of Homer 's Iliad . He arranged for the work to be available by subscription, with a single volume being released each year for six years, a model that garnered Pope enough money to be able to live off his work alone, one of the few English poets in history to have been able to do so. In 1719, following the death of his father, Pope moved to an estate at Twickenham, where he would live for the remainder of his life.

Here he constructed his famous grotto, and went on to translate the Odyssey —which he brought out under the same subscription model as the Iliad—and to compile a heavily-criticized edition of Shakespeare , in which Pope "corrected" the Bard's meter and made several alterations to the text, while leaving corruptions in earlier editions intact. Critic and scholar Lewis Theobald's repudiation of Pope's Shakespeare provided the catalyst for his Dunciad, a vicious, four-book satire in which Pope lampoons the witless critics and scholars of his day, presenting their "abuses of learning" as a mock- Aeneid , with the dunces in service to the goddess Dulness; Theobald served as its hero. Though published anonymously, there was little question as to its authorship. Reaction to the Dunciad from its victims and sympathizers was more hostile than that of any of his previous works; Pope reportedly would not leave his house without two loaded pistols in his pocket.

"I wonder he is not thrashed," wrote William Broome, Pope's former collaborator on the Odyssey who found himself lambasted in the Dunciad, "but his littleness is his protection; no man shoots a wren." Pope published Essay on Man in 1734, and the following year a scandal broke out when an apparently unauthorized and heavily sanitized edition of Pope's letters was released by the notoriously reprobate publisher Edmund Curll (collections of correspondence were rare during the period). Unbeknownst to the public, Pope had edited his letters and delivered them to Curll in secret. Pope's output slowed after 1738 as his health, never good, began to fail. He revised and completed the Dunciad, this time substituting the famously inept Colley Cibber—at that time, the country's poet laureate—for Theobald in the role of chief dunce. He began work on an epic in blank verse entitled Brutus, which he quickly abandoned; only a handful of lines survive. Alexander Pope died at Twickenham, surrounded by friends, on May 30, 1744. Since his death, Pope has been in a constant state of reevaluation.

His high artifice, strict prosody, and, at times, the sheer cruelty of his satire were an object of derision for the Romantic poets of the nineteenth century, and it was not until the 1930s that his reputation was revived. Pope is now considered the dominant poetic voice of his century, a model of prosodic elegance, biting wit, and an enduring, demanding moral force. by this poet Pope Notes The Rape of the Lock Satire - attack or critique of political, moral, economical systems; uses humor, irony to ridicule society. Juveralian - bitter, sharp, hostile; often lacks humor and is vicious; says one thing, but implies another. (originated in Rome, developed by Juveral). Example: Modest Proposal. Horatian - exposes follies but is at the same time fond of society & the people it satirizes. (developed by Horace). Example: Rape of the Lock Mock Epic - Like the mock heroic "MacFlecknoe," the mock epic The Rape of the Lock satirizes by treating unimportant things as though they were larger than life. Epic centers around heroic strife, quite often around great battles.

The great battle in this mock epic is - a card game called ombre.- The poem uses the heroic couplet (every 2 lines rhyme in iambic pentameter.) Note how much of the literature of this period was satiric - we've read more satire during the enlightenment that in the the rest of the quarter put together. Satire was a natural way of expressing the attitudes of the time. Occasion - (Occasion is the incident that leads to the writing of a document. For example, the occasion of a thank you note is receiving a gift.) The occasion of this poem was a dispute between 2 Anglo-Catholic (English Catholic) families. Lord Petre cut off a lock of hair from Arabella Fermor (pronounced "farmer"). She and her family became angry. Pope, an Anglo-Catholic himself, wrote the poem to try to make peace between the families. There were so few Catholics left in England that they needed to stick together. The poem was a popular success, but Arabella was not too happy at being mocked. Influences Pope uses many of the great poets of the past as his model - Homer, Callimacus, Catulus, Virgil, Shakespeare, Milton, etc.

There is not so much of the Germanic. The Graeco-Roman tradition looms large in this poem, as befits a work from the neo-classical period, which looked to Rome & Greece for its models. Epic conventions 105 - Zeugma - unequally yoking unlike terms. Something that matters with something that doesn't. staining honor or her new brocade - equates a "stain" on her honor (by having sex) with one on her clothes, which should not be as important to her (unless both happen at once). Her inability to distinguish between what is important from what is not was what caused the rift between the 2 families. Pope does this to show how addescent she is; every wound is fatal. losing heart - necklace - staining honor = losing virginity The queen takes counsel and tea (decides important issues & has a snack). - spirits are guarding her petticoat so it won't come off Canto 3 - Britain's statesmen are preparing against foreign invasions, her sprits against "sexual invasions" (example of zeugma) .

- Line 21 - judge is in a hurry for lunch so signs sentence without much thought - Line 98 - she'sexcited she wins caragans; only temporary victory; eventually loses - Line 127 - Clarissa gives the knight the scissors because he wins the game - her hair = conquering force of unresisted steel, Callimachus wrote in Italain, Catullus translated - she'll fight to the end to retain her lock, but it's stolen 10ff the underworld scene. It reveals what's in her psyche. 83 Sighs, sobs, & passions from womens are like the winds Odysseus held in a bag. 96 Did I shave my legs for this? - "Lock of Bernice" An Egyptian princess cut off lock and gave to gods to protect her husband during a war, but it was stolen from the temple. The astronomer Conon announced that the lock had been "translated" into a star. The poet Callimachus wrote a poem about the event that gave Pope the idea for this poem. - Partridge, astronomer, discovers lock of hair in the sky where it belongs.

He was an astrologer who always predicted the death of the Pope & various rich & famous. Alexander Pope makes fun of him here & elsewhere. In 1708, Pope predicted that Partridge would die on a certain day. When the day came, Pope announced that Partridge had indeed died. Partridge objected that he wasn't dead. Pope's response - "Yes he is, or at least should be." The Rape of the Lock Summary - eNotes.com The Rape of the Lock Summary Homework Help The Rape of the Lock Summary In "The Rape of the Lock," the Baron cuts off a lock of Belinda's hair. This act symbolizes a loss of chastity and virginity, and Belinda, who didn't consent to this, is rightfully offended. Both she and her brother attempt to retrieve the lock. It later flies off into space, never to be seen again. Belinda has a dream warning her to beware of men and vanity. She promptly forgets this advice, however, and sails up to Hampton Court to play games with her friends.

At Hampton Court, one of Belinda's suitors, the Baron, declares that he'll have a lock of her hair, regardless of whether or not she gives it to him willingly. During a card game, his proxy, the Baron, cuts off a lock of her hair without her consent. Belinda and her brother, Sir Plume, attempt to get the lock back, to no avail. Later, the Baron sneezes after having too much snuff, and the lock flies off into the sky. link Link The Rape of the Lock was written by Pope to chide gently the Fermor family when Lord Petre (referred to in the poem as "Baron") cut off a lock of Arabella Fermor’s hair on a certain fateful day and such dire results followed. Pope started something that resulted in a piece of literature that has remained to this day a leading example of the mock epic satire. John Caryll, a good friend to Pope, asked him to write a little poem about the affair in order to help heal the wounds of the two families. The poem became a trivial story of the stolen lock of hair as a vehicle for making some thoroughly mature and sophisticated comments on society and humankind.

Pope draws on his own experience in the classics in combining epic literary conventions with his own wit and sense of values. The entire poem is written in five cantos, making use of the popular rhymed iambic pentameter verse, along with balance, antithesis, bathos, and paranomasia. The story is relatively simple. In canto 1, the reader finds Belinda (representing Miss Fermor) asleep but awakened about noon by her lapdog Shock. Before she awakens, she dreams about Ariel, a Rosicrucian sylph, who whispers praises in her ear and warns her to beware of jealousy, pride, and especially men. When she does awaken, she finds a love letter on her bed and, after reading it, quickly forgets all the advice that Ariel has given her. She has been invited to sail up the Thames with friends to Hampton Court palace and have fun and games with her host. She devotes much time to her cosmetics and hair in preparation for the trip. The Baron, a suitor, is seen admiring a lock of her hair and vowing that he would have it by any means.

The modern reader must remember that, until the 1920’s, few women of character would cut their hair, an act symbolizing the loss of virtue, even chastity. The reader next sees the crew sailing up the Thames, with everyone but Ariel apparently pleased with the state of affairs. Worried, Ariel summons his helper sylphs and reminds them of their duty in helping to protect Belinda, one especially to guard her fan, one her watch, another her lock, and Ariel himself her dog. A host of sylphs are assigned to guard her petticoat, a literal device of armor in older times, protecting the female’s sexual chastity. After the cruise on the Thames, canto 3 sees Belinda, the Baron and the rest of the party arriving at the palace. There Belinda decides to play a Spanish card game called Ombre with two of her suitors. During the game, coffee, recently introduced into England by Queen Anne in order to help with the alcohol problem, is served, and fumes from the hot liquid open the rational mind of the Baron, providing him with new stratagems.

With the help of a female crony named Clarissa, he manages to cut off the lock of Belinda’s hair during the card game. At this rape, Belinda cries out in horror, and the Baron cries out in triumph. Ariel weeps bitterly because he was not able to prevent the deed. In canto 4, a bad sylph named Umbriel takes advantage of the chaos and chooses to increase the woes by flying down to the Cave of Spleen to get more woes to dump onto Belinda. With his trusty key, “Spleenwort,” in his hand, he enters and secures from the queen of Spleen a bag of horrible noises and a vial of tears, sorrows, and griefs. One of Belinda’s friends, Thalestris, demonstrates “fair weather friendship” when she announces that everyone is talking about the rape of the lock and that she is afraid that she, too, will be branded as “loose.” Thalestris attempts to get her brother Sir Plume to demand that the lock be returned. Sir Plume is unsuccessful. Canto 5 shows Umbriel casting the vial of woes upon Belinda so that she is almost drowned in tears.

She longs for simple, country life. Clarissa, the one who helped the Baron earlier in his successful venture, gives an interesting moral sermonette about vanity and age and the need of women to use good sense in the battle of the sexes. Soon a battle of teacups ensues, disturbed by the Baron’s sneezing from the snuff that he is using; this causes the lock to fly high into the air, never to be rescued. Some think that the lock has gone to the moon, where love letters and other love tokens find themselves eventually, but others think that the lock became a star. The poem is a wonderful example of burlesque, a form that takes trivial subjects and treats them seriously, with the effect being comic. Many epic conventions are used here: the epic question is asked; Belinda’s toilet becomes the epic putting on of armor; there is the conference of protective gods; there are the games and the banquet; there is the descent into the underworld; and there are heroic encounters and apotheosis. The poem deals with an actual event and thus pokes fun at the two families, but more than that it shows the vanities of humankind.

In doing so, much social satire of the fads of the day are presented. The conclusion shows that eighteenth century reason is strongly advocated; whatever one thinks of Clarissa’s early actions in the poem, it is difficult to ignore her advice near the end, advice that advocates the use of reason in all matters of life.

Question: Who wrote the poem The Rape of the Lock?
Answer: Alexander Pope